Spreading the message of peace through music

Music doesn’t connect through the mind; it goes through your molecules to awaken experiences that changes people. As with other performing arts, it brings everybody together to spontaneously share with an auditorium full of people something that unites us with others.

Padmavibhusan Pt. Rajan and Pt. Sajan Misra are creating an international milestone for peace through Indian classical music via a worldwide project, Bhairav Se Bhairavi Tak. The Inaugural Concert will be November 18 in Varanasi, with over 100 rasikas traveling from Delhi alone just to be part of the energy.

Through their distinguished lineage, their music carries the sound the most ancient living city on the earth – Kashi.

After North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, this yearlong musical synergy for peace will conclude down under in Australia & New Zealand next November.

Back in 1991, the organisers of the Ohm Festival in Delft, Netherlands were intrigued with the idea of inviting this wonderful vocal duo to share ragas relevant to the time of performance. An entire day of morning, afternoon and evening ragas, interspersed with intermissions for meals, was so successful that not a single audience member left from start to finish.

Music doesn’t connect through the mind; it goes through your molecules to awaken experiences that changes people. As with other performing arts, it brings people together to spontaneously share with an auditorium full of people something that unites us with others beyond a self-centered feeling. With a performance created, offered from a profound intention, you, individually and collectively come away with a different sense of being.

Rajan-bhai told me recently that Europeans truly understand music as universal. With increasing tension and divisions in society and individual lives, the idea of a focused worldwide tour using this universal language that connects the world began to take shape in 2015.

We all know that one of the unique and distinguishing characteristics of Hindustani classical music is the assignment of a definite time to most of the ragas. It follows that the ragas are at the zenith of their harmony, melody and magnificence when rendered at that particular time. The planned morning to late evening performances, along with discussions, therefore offer the meditative music for peace with the possibility of actual healing. In modern times there is increasing and substantial research and clinical trials on the impact of music, and Indian classical ragas in particular, on physical and mental health issues. Of course, music carried a great weightage in India’s ancient holistic medical science.

Touring to one country or another each year, and various places in India, is standard practice for this celebrated vocal partnership that has just completed 50 years singing together. What takes Bhairav Se Bhairavi Tak to a new level is the heightened collaboration of rasikas and organizers in both governments and private sectors to focus the energy of the musical foundation of Indian culture into an international peace connection.

I fondly recall a delightful afternoon get together in London during Rajan-bhai and Sajan-bhai’s annual workshop at the University of London’s School of Oriental and Asian Studies. It was fascinating to hear about the training and dedication of their university disciples. No one is better able to raise the appreciation and understanding of classical Indian music for so many in India and abroad. This world tour will provide access to the depth and beauty of our intangible cultural heritage side by side with a unifying message that of peace.

Its more than a concert: Bhairav Se Bhairavi Tak is not just about music concerts, it is about reaching out to like minded people in various parts of the world, it is to have a dialogue with senior musicians of different countries, it is about workshops with interested people, lectures for knowledge seeker, and obviously meditative concerts to take us to the world of peace and bliss. To make one more concentrated effort to reach out to the world with our astounding legacy of music.